The perturbed state of Europe por
tends the breaking out afresh of the
popular struggles smothered in 1815
and 1848.
With consumption causing one death
in seven in New York, yellow fever
has no special cause to boast of its
private graveyard.
Secretary Ooburn of the Kansas
state board of agriculture is doiug his
l>est to bring about a big international
exposition in Chicago in 1899 of corn
products and the various ways of
cooking and otherwise using corn.
An old toll gate which separated
New York from New England on the
Portcliester & Greenwich road has
just been removed. The gate is be
lieved to be more than 140 years old,
and it is said tlint the only body of
men who ever dared to march through
the gate iu defiance of the keeper was
the Continental army with George
Washington riding at the head. Tolls
, were received at this gate until 1848,
when the Boston stage coach was
abandoned.
Is snoring a crime? Mr. Miller, a
newspaper editor of Santa Fe believes
it is, and says he will undertake to
secure legislation to compel railway
and sleeping car companies to keep
porters on guard, who shall awaken
passengers when they begin to snore.
This aggrieved passenger maintains
that nervous people have rights which
railway companies are bound to re
spect. And as he was kept awake a
whole night by the terrific snoring of
a fellow passenger and unable to per
form his editorial duties the next day,
he feels he has a "real grievance."
The number of licensed saloon
keepers in the United States was re
duced 10,340 during the last year. In
IS9O the total was 210,358, in 1897
300,018. Of the latter 11,07-1 are
licensed to sell malt liquors only,
There is no state or territory without
its saloons—even Alaska has 147 and
six breweries. Prohibition Maine has
995, Kansas 2209 and lowa 3789.
Indian Territory has only 13, the
smallest number, New York, of course,
leads off, and the other states follow
in the following order: New York,
32,990; Illinois, 17,339; Ohio, 1-1,849:
Pennsylvania, 14,519; California,
12,707. There are comparatively few j
saloons in the South. Alabama has !
820; Arkansas 649; Mississippi, 326;
South Carolina, 322« Georgia has
1310, only 250 more than the District
of Columbia, 400 less than Montana j
and 428 less than Rhode Island, j
Arkansas, Indian Territory, Maine, I
Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma j
and Vermont are without breweries, j
The royal British antiquarian and
nrchieological socie'ies have lodged a
petition with Lord Salisbury protest
ing against the peculiar form of prison
labor in Egypt since the Khedive's
penitentiaries and jails have been
under English management. It seems
that the convicts, of whom there are
twelve hundred in the Jourah prison
alone, iire employed in manufacturing
bogus antiques, for which there is re- j
ported to be a large market,especially j
in America. The petitioners declare j
that the forgeries are so clever as tc j
be scarcely distinguishable from the
real article. As yet only antiques of
relatively small dimensions have been
produced, but the prison authorities
express the iiope or being able in
course of time to turn out full-fledged
mummies and sarcophagi. The scien
tific societies in England point out
with some degree of justice that while
this form of prison labor may have
commercial advantages, it practically
renders the British government a
party to fraud.
"The other day when we were driv
ing downtown behind our family
rhinoceros, we came upon an aged
man tearing a bridge to pieces and
placiug it upon a wagon," writes the
editor of a Nebraska newspaper. "As
the bridge was one that we needed in
our business we asked the ancient
mariner what he was doing with it,
and, in which case, why so, or words
to that effect. He replied: "My eye
sight is poor and I have not my spec
tacles with me; I understand that
nrany advertisements are painted upon
this bridge, and I am taking it home
in order that I may read them and
find out where to get bargains. The
long winter evenings are coming, and
I want to lay in a supply of bridges
and board fences and barn doors, that
I may sit by my fireside and read what
the merchants have to say.' We told
him that the newspapers contained
more advertisements than the bridges,
and better ones, too; but he said that
the print in the newspapers is too
fine. We drove away, glad that tlie
bridge and fence advertisers have at
least one regular reader."
One might think China WAS already
a mere carcass from the way the eagles
are gathering about it or actually
upon it.
It looks to the Chicago Record like
ft small piece of business on the part
of grown-up men to try to abolish
Snuta Clans after they have received
all the benefits that go with the insti
tution, now that it has become noth
ing to them but a bill of expense.
After a running fight the New York
board of education has dropped the
plan of teaching sewing to boys in the
Harlem schools. A letter from an
angry parent wiped out the idea of
making new men to fill the spot made
vacant by new women. The parent
wrote: "I don't want my boyputteriu'
round sewing up holes in his sister's
bloomers." That settled it.
"Are Englishmen proud of them
selves today?" asks a London paper in
recording the gallant deeds of the
Gordon Highlanders on the heights of
Dargia, to which Labouchere answers
in Truth: "Assuming that the Gordon
Highlanders are Scotsmen, then Scot
land may justly be proud of them, for
they bravely vindicated the high fame
of their regiment. But as the Derby
shire and the Dorsetshire regiments
fell back under the enemy's fire, I fail
to see why Englishmen should be
specially proud of the fighting. Our
Dargia success was achieved by the
Highlanders."
According to the Philadelphia Record:
Several manufacturers of American
machinery established branch fac
tories in Germany, England and Scot
land a year or two ago, expecting to
make their machines at less cost by
reason of lower wages and to save
freight charges across the ocean. They
sent American overseers to conduct
these branch establishments on Ameri
can principles, using American labor
saving tools. They found by experi
ence, much to their surprise, that
while wages are lower both for skilled
and unskilled labor, the average out
put per man, even with American
tools and under American supervision,
is so much less in Europe than in this
country that the cost of manufacture
is actually greater. The branch estab
lishments have, therefore, been aban
doned.
There seems to the New York Inde
pendent to be little doubt that Cali
fornia lemons are slowly but surely
crowding out foreign lemons, and that
in the not very distant future the
principal supply of the United States
will be furnished by that state. The
receipts of Mediterranean lemons this
season has been very much less than
for the corresponding period of last
year, and while the crop of California
for 1897 was in the neighborhood of
250,000 boxes, as against 150,000 for
the year previous, the indications are
that the crop or 1898 will be fully
500,000 boxes. The California grow
ers have facilities for curing and hold
ing lemons for twelve months, if need
be, taking advantage at any time of
the market to ship their fruit as the
eastern agents report a good de
maud.
The North American Review says:
If we take the prisou reports of
Massachusetts (which are the only
ones to my knowledge giving full
statistics on this matter), ami leave
out of account the matter of drunken
ness as being likely to obscure the
comparison as to intrinsically criminal
tendencies, Ave find a certain pro
gression in the number of criminals
per thousand furnished by the foreign
born of the various nationalities.
Thus Germany gives 3.6 per thousand,
Scandinavia 5.1, Scotland 5.8, France
6.2, Ireland 7.1, England 7.2, Rusbia
7.0, Austria 10.4, Hungary 15.4, Po
land IG.IO and Italy 18.2. The native
born give 2.7 and the foreign born 5.4,
or just twice as many. Now, if we
turn to the figures as to the illiteracy
of immigrants, which do not vary
much from year to year, we shall be
startled to find a progression almost
exactly parallel to the above progres
sion as to criminality. In 1896
the percentage of illiteracy among
Scandinavians was less than 2, among
Germans less than 3,English 5, Scotch
6, Irish 7, Greeks 26, Russians 41,
Austro-Hungarians 45, Italians 55,
Portuguese 48. If we consider the
converse of the question, name
ly, the proportion of prisoners
from the various races -who are illit
erate, the same result is reached.
We should expect immigrants relative
ly ignorant of their language would
also be ignorant of other things, «. g.,
a trade, and such is the case. The
progression in this respect is parallel
to those already noted—from Scotland
.sending us 25.7 per cent, of all her
immigrants as professional and skilled
persons, to Hungary sending 3.7 per
cent, of such persons.
"You are still a youth to TI:B, John,
You are still my bonny beau ;
The same as when we plighted troth
Full fifty years Hgo !
The same as when our wedding bells
Rang out so glad and guy."
And hero the good wife breathed a sigh
And shook her locks of gray.
"It seemeth strange to me, John,
Who married you for aye,
Who holds the ring you gave me as
The apple of my eye,
To see the youngsters ne'er content
To give their hearts and hands,
As we did in the good old times,
Without the scrip and lands!
A A A A A A A A A A A A A A i
j" The Wrong Note.
When I left the train at Elmwood
and found that no oue was there to
meet me I was surprised. Twice I
walked around the station vainly peer
ing into the gathering darkness in
search of the Torrington trap. I was
nonplussed, for I saw nothing but a
rickety public hack, with a rickety
horse and a rickey driver importuning
me to become his fare. Loath to be
lieve my eyes, I sought the station
agent.
"Wasn't Mr. Torrington's carriage
here to meet this train?" I asked.
The man shook his head. "It was
down for the 3 o'clock," he replied.
"Took a gentleman of!'."
This announcement served to in
crease my perplexity. Here I, hav
ing been formally asked to spend Sun
day at a house and having formally
accepted, was compelled to make my
way thither in a public conveyance,
while another had been met i.t the
station and carried off in comfort.
Over this unusual condition of affairs
I puzzled my brain on the driva out
to Torrington's. The discomfort of
my jiosition was heightened by the in
creasing darkness, for the rickety
horse made no very good speed, and I
realized that the dinner hour was rap
idly approaching. But at length we rat
tled through the gates aud up the
drive to the house.
Maria Torrington greeted me on the
veranda, which was so illy lighted
that I could hardly see her face; yet
it struck me that there was confusion
in her tone.
"I'm very glad to see you," she
said. "It's a surprise, indeed."
"Surprise?" I said. "You knew I
was coming."
"Er-yes," she murmured, hesitat
ingly. "But it's so late we'd given
you up. You must hurry for dinner.
Hobson, show Mr. Bottomley his
room."
Here a tall figure loomed out of the
darkness iuto the foreground, and be
fore I could follow the servaiifwho
had taken my bag my hand was seized
and a heavy voice said: "Hello! old
man; glad to see you."
"Why, hello, Brooks!" I exclaimed.
"I'm glad to see you."
"Glad to see you—glad to see you,"
I repeated, as I followed Hobson into
the hall and up the stairs to mv room.
(Had to see Dick Brooks! Glad to
see the man with whom I had been
racing for two years for the fair prize
below. When the servants had gone
and I was alone I stamped the floor
vigorously and tore open my bag with
such violence as to send the contents
scattering in every direction. This
thing was getting unpleasant. I could
overlook the lack of hospitality in al
lowing me to make my own way to
the house; I could forget her evident
surprise at my coming after I had been
formally invited by her mother and
had as formally accepted; but I could
not forgive her asking Dick Brooks
and myself at the same time and driv
ing him home in triumph, as it were.
I was angry—so angry that I crum
pled three ties in dressing and started
down to dinner with tan shoes on,and
when I finally entered the drawing
room to find the family awaiting me.
I remembered that I had forgotten to
brush my hair and was conscious that
it was all standing out at the back. It
seemed that, flustered aud dishevelled,
I was making a very poor showing in
comparison with the immaculate
Brooks.
"I am very glad to see you," said
Mrs. Torrington, cordially. "It's a
special pleasure, as we understood
you weren't " Maria glanced
sharply at her mother, and the kindly
woman stopped, flushed, and added:
"As we were afraid you weren't com
ing. The train must have been late.
But come."
I shall never forget the dinner that
followed. It seemed as though there
was a pall over the little company, or.
rather, over all but Brooks. He is a
clever l'ellow, I admit, and, seeming
to realize that the rest of us wero em
barrassed and hampered by some se
cret which could not be his, he pro
ceeded to make the best of things aud
to bear the brunt of the conversation.
But at length it was over, and Mr.
Torrington cornered my clever rival
over coffee and cigars, while I slipped
away and, though it was late in Octo
ber and a stiff breeze was blowing from
the sea across the bleak meadows,
crackling cheerlessly through the dy
ing leaves of the trees, I succeeded in
inducing Maria to take a walk ou the
veranda.
"Now, tell ma why there is a'.l this
surprise on the part of you and your
family," I said, once we were out of
hearing of tha mother, the small
brother, the father and the shining
rival.
"I think we had cause to be sur
prised," she said, coldly.
"Cause!" I cried. "I received a
note from your mother on Thursday
asking me down for Sunday. I ac
cepted."
"You declined," slie said, m a tone
that brooked no contradiction, "and so
I telegraphed to Dick to come down.
See what a position vou placed me in.
THE FAITHFUL COUPLE.
••I didn't bring you ranch. Jolin,.
Aud you had little more;
But we had health iii place of wealth,
And plenteous joys in store.
And through the joy aud strife, dear,
We each one did our part:
And now we've one another still,
As we had at the start.
"The times have sadly changed, John,
Since you aud I were young ;
The marriage tie is lightly held
And many a heart is wrung.
And yet you're young to me, John,
And still my bonny beau ;
The same as when we plighted troth
FulLflfty years ago!"
—Mrs. M. A. Kidder, in New York Lodger.
I couldn't let him know he was second
fiddle."
We had stopped walking, and she
stood facing me in the light of a win
dow. Her glance was one of deep
reproach. "We are always glad to
have you, as you know, but this time
it is just a little embarrassing."
"But I accepted," I maintained,
stoutly.
"Your note said plainly, 'I regret
that another engagement prevents
my "
"Jove! " I broke into a laugh.
"What are you swearing about? I
don't see anything particularly amus
ing."
How stupid I had been from the
first.
"Why, Maria," I said, "it was my
fault, aud until this minute it never
occurred to me. I' got your mother's
note ou Thursday. I had an engage
ment to meet a lawyer late this after
noon to try and settle a case I am con
cerned in. As I couldn't attend to
the business and catch the last train
out I determined to try and postpone
the matter. So I wrote two notes—
one accepting, the other declining the
invitation. I took them both down
town next day, and as the attorney
consented to my postponing the meet
ing I mailed the acceptance."
"You mean you got them mixed and
sent the wrong one," she said. A half
smile lighted her face for an instant,
to give place to a settled look of dis
pleasure. "And I wired to Dick
Brooks."
I laughed quietly.
"What are you laughing at?" she
asked.
"Brooks must be puzzled over you
having us down here together."
She resented this iuference as to
our mutual relations by turning
sharply and, carrying herself with ex
aggerated erectness, entered the
house, with me following crestfallen
at her heels.
Brooks was puzzled; so extremely
puzzled that he hardly said a word at
breakfast, but was quiet aud thought
ful,an unusual mood for him. I could
see that he had an important piece of
engineering on hand and tried to block
his schemes, but despite my subtle
moves he succeeded in inducing Maria
to take him out to the pond and show
him the trout. For a time I chafed
in the library under Mrs. Torrington's
verbose recital of the difficulties of se
curing funds for a certain deserving
hospital, and at length,unable to bear
the resti aint longer, rather abruptly
excuse 1 m self to take a stroll about
the place. My steps carried me in the
direction of the pond, down the drive,
over a stretch of lawn, through a
grove, till I was halted at the sight of
two hats protruding over the top of a
busli a few yards away.
"Maria," I heard Brooks say in a
more earnest tone than I had deemed
him capable of assuming, "I have
waited now for a year for an answer.
Sometimes my hopes have been raised
—raised only to see you shower kind
ness on that fellow "
I whistled to the collie that had
been bounding along near by, and
when Maria Torrington and her com
panion stepped hurriedly into view I
cried "Hello!"
Brooks looked foolish and replied
"Hello!" Then he bewail stirring the
dead leaves with li is stick.
For a moment nil of us must have
looked foolish,as Maria,her face crim
son, stared blunli.ly at a distant tree
top, while I leaned over and fell to
patting the slia.rgy dog.
The silence was broken by the girl.
She had completely recovered her
composure, and, fixing her eyes on
me, said: "Harry, as you have doubt
less heard, Dick—Mr. Brooks—has
just asked me to marry liini."
"Asked for the thousandth time,"
muttered Brooks. His clean-shaven
face was turning red from the tip of
his chin to where the hair divided. A
man seldom objects to having it known
that he is attentive to a woman, but to
have her blazon it forth to all the
world, and to his worst rival in partic
ular, and in his presence, is not so
agreeable if lie occupies the position
of one rejected.
"And you have also asked me,"
Maria Torrington went on, with a cold
ness that would have astounded me
had I not known her.
"Yes," I said, stupidly,"asked you
frequently."
"I like you both very much," she
said, fixing her eyes on Brooks, who
was still fumbling liis stick among the
leaves.
It hardly seemed fair that she should
look so kindly on my rival, so I called
her eyes back to me by asking, "Can't
you choose between us?"
"No," she replied, after a moment
of thoughtful silence, "I've tried very
hard to, but I can't. A plan of choos
ing was suggested to me by your un
expected coming."
"We are both togo away and stay
away?" growled Brooks.
"One may come ba^-k."
"I?" Brooks started eagerly tow
ard her. She raised her baud in
warning.
"1 ilon't know which," she Raid.
"There is an old saying about mar
riage being a lottery. I propose to
increase the chances. If you two con
sent I shall carry out at once the
scheme that I have got up after long
and careful thinking."
"Are we to toss a penny?" I asked.
"Xo. This afternoon I shall write
two notes,one an acceptance, the other
a refusal. They will be putin plain
envelopes, mixed up, directed and
mailed. The one of you who receives
the refusal shall "
"Commit suicide."
Brooks' gloomy countenance gave
credence to a suspicion that iu event of
his receiving the wrong note he would
resort to self-destruction. The girl,
however,speedily crushed all hopes of
such escape from suffering.
"You shall not!" slie cried. "If
you do I shall never speak to either
of you again."
There was a long silence, and then
Maria looked from one to the other of
us and said, earnestly: "You'll agree
to my plan, won't you?"
"There is nothing else that we enn
do," said I.
"Nothing," repeated Brooks.
In fact the scheme rather appealed
to me, for of late things had not been
going so smoothly as 1 could have de
sired. It had seemed at times as
though Brooks was drawing away
fiom me in the race. Now a chance
had been offered. Once for all the
question would be settled. Then, my
luck was usually good. The plan was
not so agreeable to my rival. Doubt- |
less li© felt that he had the advantage J
of me and in enteringinto suclia game j
was gambling to obtiin what was al- !
ready almost his own. He had no !
other course but to assent, though,
and he (lid it with rather bad grace.
"It seems hard," he said to Maria,
"but you will it, and I obey."
"It is agreed, then." said she.
Brooks and I bowed. The three of
us walked back to the house.
I was up early next morning at my
rooms in town. I had calculated
everything to a nicety. The postman j
would reach the honse at 8.10 o'clock.
The train for Elmwood left at 9
o'clock. Provided the contents of i
the note that I expected were satisfac- j
tory, I would just Lave time to break
fast and reach the ferry. Should the
note prove to be the wrong one, I cer- j
tainly would not need any breakfast !
and much less to catch a train. I had
been awake at dawn; excitement had
driven sleep from my eyes, and the
dragging hours gave me more than ,
ample opportunity to figure out my
chances. I revolved over and over
again iii my mind the history of my
acquaintance with Maria Torri.igton.
I reviewed my own life and picked
out incidents in it iu which luck had
played a part, and I found such a bal
ance in my favor that I was almost
convinced that it was useless for me
to worry over the outcome of the game
of chance I was playing. Having
brought myself to a state of compara
tive confidence, I began to pack a
couple of bags full of clothes,for 1 had
made up my mind to make a long stay
at the Torrington honse while I was
about it. As I stuffed my golf things
into a portmanteau I pictured Maria
and myself plodding over the links to
gether. As I folded up my riding
clothes I thought of the gallops we
were to have, and I broke into song,
and as I sang I forgot all about the
note that was then on its way to me
and worked aw ay as cheerily as though
it were but the matter of an hour till
I was speeding to her. But a loud
knock at the door called me back to
realities, and when the liallboy held
toward me a square envelope addressed
in a small, angular hand, I realized
that, perhaps, after all my joy had
been premature. Decidedly prema
ture! The note was brief, so brief
that in an instant I comprehended its
contents,sank into a chair and,tossing
the paper from me, repeated the fate
ful words: "Miss Torrington regrets
that, owing to another ingagement,
she cannot accept Mr. Blank's kind
invitation to become his wife."
Why had I ever consented to risk
all oa a mere throw of dice? Why
had I tried to win by a gamble what
other men worked, waited and suffered
for years to obtain? It would not
have been so bad had Harkinson, who
had been out of the game a year, won
her. But that snob Brooks! He would
never have an opportunity to gloat
over me. I would go abroad. I would
exile myself rather than witness one
minute of liis triumph. I would take
the very next steamer —no! After all
it would but add to the satisfaction of
my rival to have me eating my heart
out in some foreign city. Far better
to stay right here in New York; to
work and become famous, to bring
home to the girl a full sense of what
she liad lost by her foolish lottery.
But why should I waste my life iu dull
office drudgery? Why should I, with
a solid income inherited from indus
trious forefathers,throw away the good
things of this life for an empty bauble,
for the sake of a petty revenge on a
silly woman. Silly woman? A bold
woman who had repaid my homage by
gaming with me. Would a true
hearted girl, a girl worth having, have
plaved with a man's love as she hail
done? She was a flirt—an infernal
flirt. How lucky was lin getting the
wrong note—how fortunate! I sprang
from my chair and danced around the
room, singing a snatch of a song. A
bag, half packed for the journey,
caught my eye, and in a frenzy of joy
I kicked it and sent the contents flying
over the floor.
A knock at the door interrupted the
celebration of my good fortune. It
was the hallboy with a telegram.
I opened the despatch and read:
"Dreadful mistake. Letters got
mixed. Sent yon wrong note. Come.
MAKIA." —New York Sun.
Bicycles are used for smuggling on
the frontier of France and Belgium.
BITTER-SWEET.
The maid I loved, and still shall love,
What song of mine her praise may rea
der?
All song could say, she stands above.
Beyond all words, being dear and tender,
Bright as the stars, yet not so high;
Fair as the moon, but far less llckle;
Sweet as the lovely months that lie
Between the seed-time and the sickle.
ii , w ® re my vows like breezes shy
With fragrant sighs to breathe upon her,—
un were my hopes like iiowers to lie
About her path to do her honor, —
On, were my voice a silver lyre
la sound her praise and sing her glory,—
Jl.v happiness and heart's desire
■Had not been now an ended story.
—Pall Mall Gazette.
HUMOROUS.
D'Auber (sueeringly) What on
earth, may I ask, is that picture of
yours intended for? Hyart (compla
cently)—For sale, dear boy!
Ski-iner—What makes Colonel Puf
fington so successful as a conversation
alist? Babel—He's so taciturn—gives
the others lots of chance to talk.
"Do you speak German?" "Well,
yes; but not to natives of the Father
land, as tbey evidently did not learn
the same language as I did at col
lege."
"Was the bonnet expensively
trimmed?" "Very. It had a $450
price tag of the Maison de Snooks,
and I fancy that alone never cost less
than $20."
Mi'p.Gabbleton—lam told that Mrs.
Hennyj eok has lost all hold on her
husband. Old Aunt Broadhead—Yes;
I've noticed that he has shaved off his
chin whiskers.
Kittie—l heard today that you mar
ried your husband to reform him.
Sarah—l did. Kittie—Why, I didn't
know he had any bad habits. Sarah
—He had one—he was a bachelor.
Bill Pluggem—Failed in my attempt
to hold up that bank cashier. Sam
Swattem—What was the cause of the
failure? Bill Pluggem—Over produc
tion. I produced one gun and he pro
duced two.
"And are you really going to sing
in the chorus?" "No—not exactly.
When the manager heard my voice he
said he'd let me go into the ballet."
"Humph! If you had danced for him
he might have let you sing."
The Mistress —Be very careful,
Marie, when you give little Algernon
a bath. He shrinks from it so. The
New Nurse —Do he, nie'm; that's bad.
Wid two or three more shrinkin's
there'll be notbin' left of him.
Robert—l see in the papers that
there are germs in bills. Richard—
What? Is that so? I must give di
rections at home, when Dunwell
conies again with that little bill, to
tell him that I do not consider it safe
to receive it.
"I see," he said, looking up from
his paj>er, "that a couple are to be
married in a wild beasts' cage. What
folly!" "I don't know," she retorted.
"When one has to live with an o'd
bear she might as well get used o it
from the start." And the curtain
dropped.
Benevolent Old Gentlemen (point
ing a moral to village school children)
—Now, why do I take all the trouble
to leave my home and come over here
and speak to you thus? Can any boy
tell me? Bright Child (innocently)—
Please, sir, perhaps you like to hear
yourself talk, sir.
"I know," said the somewhat irre
sponsible friend, "that you don't be
lieve in signs in the ordinary sense.
But don't you sometimes find your
self in circumstances which cause
presentiments of evil?" "Y'es; every
time some people ask me for a loan I
feel as if I were going to lose money."
"She has a wonderfully forgiving
nature," said the young woman. "1
offended her unintentionally, and
when I spoke to her about it she said
she was perfectly willing to overlook
the past." "Yes," replied Miss Cay
enne. "That is a specialty of hers—
overlooking the past. She says that
she is only 28 years of age."
Certainly Complimentary.
"John," said Mrs. Harkius, "I
heard a nice compliment for you to
i day."
j Mr. Harkins put his paper down,
twisted up the ends of his moustache,
looked pleased, and said:
"Well, that's nothing so remarkable.
I receive compliments nearly every
day."
Mrs. Harkins went on sipping hei
\ tea, and her husband waited for her
to resume. Finally, he said:
"Well, why don't you tell me what
it was? Who was it that compli
mented me? '
i "Oh, you couldn't guess in a
I week."
"Mrs. Deering?" he ventured,
j "No."
I "Not Bessie Fallingtou?" hera .her
j eagerly suggested.
"No."
"Oh, well, of course, if there's any
secret about it, I don't care to hear
what, it is or who said it."
"There isn't any secret about it,"
Mrs. Harkius sweetly replied. "Mr.
Hannaford told nie that every time he
and I met he became more thoroughly
convinced that you were a man of ex
cellent taste."
John Harkius then shoved his hands
down in his pockets and walked out
side to think it over.
A Question of Kmphasis.
Sloper (as Miss Eastlake, bis in
tended, finishes a solo) What a
voice!
Duncan (who has been rejected by
Miss Eastlake) —Yes, what a voice!—
Harlem Life.
James Connors and his wife, an
East St. Louis couple, have been mar
ried three times, the triple ceremon
ies having been performed on pcconnt
of religious differences and family ob
iections.